Vampire Vacations
by paintedbynumbers
Summary: To prepare her for her impending vampire life, Carlisle devises a plan for Bella and all 7 Cullens to spend some quality family bonding time together. The result? Well it can only end in chaos when Alice is in charge of the planning...ExB, Cullens fluff
1. Carlisle's Idea

**Vampire Vacations**

by xxnikegoddess

**Summary: **To prepare for her impending transition to the Cullen household, Carlisle devises a plan for Bella and all 7 Cullens to spend some quality 'family bonding time' together. The result? It can only be chaos when Alice is in charge of the planning...

**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer owns (you) all. I do not own Twilight, the Cullens, or any other aspect of the Twilight Universe.

**NOTE: **There are occasional, but vague Eclipse spoilers in here. You have been warned.

* * *

"_Please, _Charlie?" Alice begged my father in a cute, girlish squeal that would've rivaled Jessica's for the title in a vampire equivalent of the Teen People Choice Awards. "Please, please, please, please, _please _can Bella stay with us, instead of going to Seattle with you?" 

"Well, uh.."

Charlie looked momentarily dazed by the imploring doe-eyed stare of her smouldering topaz eyes. It was a sensation I had experienced many times before with Edward, and I found myself sympathizing profusely for him. He didn't have a hope of winning this fight.

I felt sorry for myself, too, because neither did I. I now had zero chance of escaping the impending fortnight of shopping, makeovers and torturously long pedicures that were inevitably going to befall me under Alice's accommodation.

"Well, two weeks is a long period, Alice, and I wouldn't want to burden Carlisle and Esme with the hassle of taking care of Bella all this time…they already have to provide food and beds for the 5 of you. Wouldn't want to cause any extra fuss, you know?"

I saw Edward smirking discreetly in the chair beside me, though whether it was due to the dramatic irony in Charlie's concern, or some other humorous thought he'd picked up in my father's head, I couldn't be sure. _I _didn't possess the power to read minds.

I sighed, mentally calculating the number of minutes left before Alice would win Charlie over, and I'd be handed over to her clutches for the fortnight. It was a fruitless struggle—me and my poor father against two indestructible, not to mention, insanely gorgeous vampires that left us putty in their wake. Oh, and both of them possessed pretty powerful superpowers, too. Where was the justice in the world?

Alice's laughter tinkled like a wind chime. "Oh don't be silly, Charlie, we have _plenty _of space in the house!"

Well of course they did. The Cullens did not need trivial things like beds or refrigerators. I couldn't even be sure if they needed things like toilets or showers. I'd never been brave enough to ask Edward such meager questions.

"And I'm sure Bella would love to take a break from cooking dinner every night, for the both of you," Alice teased lightly, playing the guilt card.

"Well, uh, that _is _true, she does deserve a bit of a break…but…" Charlie stammered, shifting nervously in his seat.

"Esme makes the best chocolate chip muffins," Alice announced decisively, as if the ability to supply edible homemade desserts was the only thing that really mattered to a concerned father debating whether to send his daughter off to spend the next 2 weeks alone with her boyfriend—oh, secret fiancée now, come to think about-- and his strange family or not.

"Uh, that's…great, Alice, but I'm still having doubts…I mean, I'd still like to discuss this with Carlisle and Esme first…"

"When is this going to be over?" I hissed to Edward.

"Hmmm?" Edward asked innocently. "When is what going to be over, dearest Bella?"

"That," I said huffily, pointing to where Alice now seemed to be reciting one of Carlisle's medical encyclopedias on how teenagers earning to live independently through experiences like holidaying alone would greatly benefit the developing adolescent brain.

"…She's almost an adult now, Charlie, and besides, she won't really be _alone, _she'll be with us the whole time! Don't you trust me to look after her?" she pouted.

Charlie, like any normal human being in possession of a Y chromosome, was putty under Alice's pleading gaze. "Well, I suppose there _is _some sense in what you're saying…" he admitted, breaking at last.

"Oh no," I moaned. "How long do I have till Charlie gives in completely?"

Edward chuckled at my despair; I tried to scowl condescendingly at him but I made the mistake of looking directly into his glorious topaz eyes. I forgot how to breathe, least of all how to scowl.

He carefully scrutinized Alice's face, pulling away from my gaze with a smirk.

"37 seconds," he said curtly, reading her thoughts. He frowned. "Darn it. I guess my wallet's going to be another $20 short."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

He smiled sheepishly, playfully twirling the locks of my hair. "I bet Alice she wouldn't be able to crack Charlie down in under 3 minutes. And I just lost."

"You _knew _Alice was going to win Charlie over in the end, and you made me sit through this anyway? I'm glad you lost your $20—it's the least punishment you should suffer. Though why anyone would be stupid enough to bet against Alice, I have no idea."

"I thought my presence here would make Charlie a little less of a pushover and more 'Chief Officer Swan'," Edward said, shrugging. "Hey, I guess that means his urge to tear me into pieces after Italy is starting to subdue a little?" he added cheerfully.

"I wouldn't count on that, Edward," I said, sighing. If she tried hard enough, Alice could probably even convince Charlie to buy me a motorcycle of my own. He was a total puppet in her hands.

I could tell from his disgruntled glances my way that the prospect of leaving me alone with Edward was the only thing that was slowing his decision.

"Well, I…well what do you think, Bella?" Charlie asked me desperately, hoping I would be able to bail him out. "Do you really want to spend the beginning of Summer here in Forks, with the Cullens?"

This was my perfect chance to get out, to avoid the nightmare of 24 hour shopping and Barbie dress up sessions that Alice inevitably had planned for me.

"Yes, Bella," Edward whispered, his icy fingers coolly tracing the nape of my neck. "How does 2 weeks of quality time with Alice…and me sound?"

"Mmmfnn," I mumbled. It was very hard to come up with a coherent sentence while he was doing…_that…_with his fingertips.

"And all the rest of the family of course," Alice added clearly, for Charlie's benefit, although from the way he was glaring at the close proximity Edward's lips were from my face, he didn't seem quite convinced.

"Bella?" Charlie prompted. "It's your choice, honey."

"Yes, Bella, your choice," Edward echoed; but his glorious voice made the sentence sound more like an operatic melody rather than a subtle plead for mercy.

It was so unfair. We _were _evenly matched, in terms of number-- Alice and Edward against Charlie and me, but we were both grossly outmatched, mentally.

I'd long accepted that I was pretty helpless under Edward's cold marble fingers, and it would've been abnormal if Charlie _wasn't _affected by Alice's dainty charm. I wondered, however, if he'd still think she was as cute if he knew she was probably capable of crushing my Chevy under her dainty ballerina feet like a ferocious bulldozer.

"Yes, I'll…go. Just enjoy your Summer, dad, I'll be fine," I sighed in defeat. Really, what else could I have said while Edward was breathing down on me like that? Stupid, cheating vampire.

Alice gave a little squeal of delight. "Oh, Charlie, it will be great! You won't have to worry about a thing! It'll be just like a great big slumber party for all of us!" She skipped off gracefully up to my room to start packing my things.

I groaned, my worst fears realized. I of course, had no objection whatsoever to the prospect of spending 2 weeks with my insanely gorgeous boyfriend, without Charlie hovering over my shoulder every 5 minutes, ready to chase him out at every possible opportunity. No, it was not that.

It was thinking of the words 'Alice' and 'party' in the same sentence together that frightened me.

She came dancing down the stairs again, my duffel bag packed in record time. "No offense, Bella, but you have a rather pitiful excuse for a wardrobe. We need to take you shopping immediately, before it escalates into a national crisis."

She was already bouncing out of the door, waving cheerfully at Charlie as she threw my bag into her yellow Porsche. "Come on, Bella, let's go! We'll get discounts from my favourite shops if we reach Olympia before 7!" she tapped her head, grinning.

Of course Alice would be using her special talent to 'watch' for any prospective shopping bargains that might be cropping up in the near future.

"You. are. so. dead," I hissed as Edward grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards the door.

He tweaked my nose playfully. "And I thought _I _was meant to be the scary monster." He turned as he stepped outside. "Bye Charlie! We'll miss you!"

Charlie did not look as if she would share the sentiment, at least not towards Edward. I waved desperately back at him.

"Love you, dad. I'll call you later!"

Edward had already gently, but unceremoniously dumped me into the back of Alice's Porsche before Charlie could wave back.

"All right, Alice, let's roll," he said breezily.

Alice was only too happy to follow his orders; I barely had a second to prepare myself before I felt my insides jerk with the sudden lurch of the vehicle as it accelerated out of Charlie's driveway.

"So much for being a police offer," I grumbled, grudgingly allowing Edward to wrap his arms around my waist. "I thought his job is to _prevent _kidnappings like this?"

"It wasn't kidnapping," Alice retorted cheerily. "Both you and Charlie gave us consent to take you."

"You knew you were going to win from the beginning anyway," I complained. My apprehension was clearly amusing Edward. I could feel his chest shaking with laughter underneath my body.

"What's the big deal, Bella? You haven't finally come to your senses and become _scared _of us, now have you?" he teased lightly, his cool breath ruffling my hair.

Alice giggled from the front seat.

I've had personal encounters with sadistic, homicidal vampires—numerous times, I might add-- and till very recently I'd been best friends with an enormous bratty young adolescent werewolf who had needed anger management 24/7. And yet, to this day, nothing terrified me like Alice and her credit card working together to turn me into a Bella Barbie.

I stayed silently, pouting.

"Oh, come on, Bella," Alice sighed, finally seeming to tire from my stubborn resistance to her attempts to use me as a life size dress up doll. "Do you honestly think I'd be dragging you all the way here if it wasn't for a genuinely worthy cause?"

"Well then Alice, enlighten me. What cause could be so important that you feel the need to separate me from my poor father and threaten me with endless shopping for a fortnight?"

"Oh, give it a rest, Bella," Alice sighed. "Even with Charlie gone, you'd have spent all your time at our house anyway. And as for the shopping--"

"What she means is, my Bella, that it is a big surprise and she won't tell you until we reach the house," Edward told me.

"But you knew that I wouldn't agree to whatever torturous scheme you have planned for me, so you had to abduct me by force, knowing I would have no way of refusing?" I asked grimly.

"That's right," Alice agreed, enormously pleased I'd caught on so quickly. "We're here!" she trilled, elegantly cruising into the Cullens' driveway and parking the Porsche in one, fluid motion.

Edward gracefully stepped out of the car, and before I could blink, had crossed to the other side to open the door for me.

"I'm here," he said softly, offering his hand in response to the worried expression on my face. But he couldn't keep the smirk off his face.

"It's partly your fault I _need _your comfort in the first place," I grumbled, but I gladly took his hand anyway. Edward was still Edward. It wasn't his fault he'd been stuck with a sister who seemed to have no grasp of the words 'taking things too far'.

"She's here!" Alice sang to the empty room; and moments later all 5 Cullens had materialized in the sitting room, right in front of my eyes.

Even after spending so much time with all of them, I still had not become accustomed to their painstaking beauty, individually or as a group. They stood standing side by side now, a row of immaculate life sized dolls carved by Aphrodite herself.

I only realized now how long it had been since I'd seen all of the Cullens together. I'd been spending most of my time with Edward, naturally, and Alice had often dropped by for occasional-- and not always pleasant-- visits too. But it seemed eternities since I had last seen Esme's kind heart shaped face, or felt the unusually heavy sense of calm and ease that came with being in Jasper's presence. I even felt quite happy to see the subtle grimace Rosalie usually reserved for me. Perhaps this wasn't such a terrible idea after all.

"Good to see you, Bella," Carlisle said warmly. "I hope Alice didn't give you too much trouble?" he looked suspiciously in her direction.

"Well, Alice will be Alice," I said, laughing more freely than I expected. Jasper's doing again?

Jasper shot his wife a look of mock disapproval. She giggled cheekily. "Well you know how Bella loves surprises," she said in her defense.

"Bella hates surprises, Alice," Emmett retorted. "But then we needed a way to get Edward back too, anyway. He's been spending so much time with you I almost forgot he even lives in this house anymore."

"Sorry," I grinned, blushing. Edward squeezed my hand and pulled me closer to him.

"I forgot I did, too." He paused. "It was a very happy time for me. Do you know how disturbing it is to have unintended full access to you and Rosalie's dirty minds every night? No wonder I can't sleep."

Rosalie quirked one perfect eyebrow. "Just because _you're _being deprived of your sexual needs, doesn't mean you have to resort to voyeurism and try and stifle ours," she retorted.

Emmett roared with laughter. "Nice one, Rose!" he said, thumping her back. I knew from experience it would be like punching a brick wall, but that was little trouble for someone like Emmett.

I turned bright scarlet- I was surprised the room did not suddenly set itself on fire from the heat emanating from my cheeks. We could _not _be having this conversation right now—especially in front of Carlisle and Esme!

Edward narrowed his eyes at Emmett. "It wasn't that exciting anyway," he smirked. He turned to Rosalie. "You know, Rose, I had no idea you had such a fetish for—"

"Okay, enough!" Esme chimed shrilly, noticing my pained expression. "I am all for passionate love and the like, but we have a _guest _in the house!"

"Aw, c'mon Esme, Bella's practically family now," Emmett said, striding towards me with arms outstretched. "Aren't ya, Bells?"

I did not get a chance to reply as I got suffocated under the full force of Emmett's massive bear hug.

"Mmmett! Puu muh doww" I didn't know whether he could decipher my incoherent sentence. My voice was being muffled by 20 pounds of brawny muscle.

Emmett only let go when a low growl began to form in Edward's throat.

He dropped me abruptly. "Oh, sorry Bella! I keep forgetting you're so…so…"

"…So human? It's okay, Emmett, it must be easy to forget that not everyone here is made up of living cement. But _if _you can, please try to remember I am not one of your irritable grizzly friends, either," I said, patting myself down and rolling my eyes at him affectionally. He grinned sheepishly back.

Rosalie sniffed disapprovingly. "Carlisle, didn't you have something you wanted to discuss with Bella?"

"Oh, that's right, Rose." He cleared his throat. "Um, Bella? We have something we'd like to talk to you about."

Why did he sound so serious? "Oh. Forks isn't harboring any more deadly mythical monsters out to get me, is it?" I asked.

I was only half-joking, but Edward chuckled anyway.

"I think being on the hit lists of all the most dangerous vampires in the world is starting to make Bella paranoid," Alice teased.

"Oh Bella honey, it's nothing like that," Esme reassured me. "It's just that…well. Carlisle?"

Carlisle nodded, and smiled at me warmly. "Well, you see, Bella, Emmett's right- you _are _pretty much family now--"

"And it's going to be in a much more literal sense too, soon," Alice interrupted, winking at me and wagging one of her fingers at me. Too late I realized she was indicating her ring finger. Oh right. The wedding. Crap.

"Well, yes, that too" Carlisle agreed. "Well Esme and I both agreed that while you undoubtedly belong to this household, at least in a metaphoric sense for now, it seems there's rarely been a time when all eight of us have really spent some good quality time together, as a _family._ To be honest, the only real experiences all of us have shared together, I think, are--"

"Saving Bella from the clutches of a sadistic, homicidal vampire?" Emmett suggested.

"And his psychotic, vengeful mate," Rosalie added.

"Don't forget coming up with battle plans to defeat an evil army made up of the spawn of said psychotic, vengeful mate," Jasper reminded them proudly.

"And of course holding her hostage here and preventing from getting herself marauded by those damn werewolves," Alice chimed in, determined not to be left out.

"Anyone else?" I asked, sighing. Edward's lips were twitching violently from the effort of trying not to laugh.

Carlisle gave me a sympathetic look.

"He's feeling sorry for you, knowing that you're going to have to live with this," – Edward interpreted his thoughts, gesturing at his siblings—"For the rest of eternity. I do, too," he added as an afterthought.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Anyway, Bella, the point is, since you're going to permanently join us soon, I thought it would be a good idea for us to spend some quality time together, to really bond—as a family. Really start adjusting to your new life, give you a taste of what's in store. What do you say?"

"Oh, you mean apart from the sleepless nights and the whole heart-stops-beating thing?" I joked. "Well, um, that'd be okay, I guess. What did you have in mind? We can't exactly enjoy a nice big family dinner at TGI Fridays together…"

"Hey, you know what both humans _and _vampires can enjoy?" Alice chimed in with her usual excessive enthusiasm.

"_DON'T SAY SHOPPING!" _Jasper, Emmett and Edward yelled at once.

"Boys! What did I say about shouting in the house?" Esme scolded.

Alice seemed undeterred by their outburst. "Actually, I was going to say--"

"Makeovers are out too," Rosalie added curtly. Of course it was out. All of them were stunningly perfect already- there was nothing left _to _makeover.

Alice scowled. "Well it was just a suggestion…"

"Actually, Bella," Carlisle sighed, clearly exasperated from the constant interruptions. "Esme and I were thinking something more…major. Well, Edward mentioned that you rarely travel--"

"Except when running off to meet her sadistic killers or flying to Italy to rescue Edward from the depths of his teenage angst," Alice commented. Edward shot her a dirty look.

"Well, _yes-- _god is it another defining characteristic of vampires to constantly interrupt each other every five seconds?" Carlisle groaned, and then suddenly looked worried. "Someone really ought to do some medical research into it--"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "What he's been trying to say for the last 5 minutes, Bella, is that we want you to come on holiday with us."

I blinked at them, completely blank. "Um, what?"

"We're going on a family trip," Rosalie repeated, enunciating slowly, as if I was slow in the brain.

"You want me to go on a _family _trip with you?" I asked, astounded.

"Well, yes," Esme said, looking as confused as I felt. "Is that a problem?"

"_You _want me to go on a family trip with you," I stated again, not quite believing the words even the third time around.

Carlisle nodded clearly, hoping to get the message along nice and clear. He didn't.

"You want _me _to go on a family trip with _you,_" I breathed again, still in utter disbelief.

"Yes, _we _want you to _come _on a family trip _with _us," Emmett said, trying to emphasize different parts of the sentence to see if it was helping me understand at all.

"Did she suddenly forget how to speak English?" Rosalie hissed.

"I'll bet it was the influence of those filthy dogs," Alice muttered.

"Alice!" Esme scolded. "I won't tolerate that sort of prejudiced language! All creatures were created equal."

"That's good for you, then, Emmett – they'll be _equally _as fun to hunt down as grizzlies then," Edward said, snickering.

"Um, guys, back to Bella and her sudden dilemma of forgetting the fundamentals of basic communicative English?" Jasper motioned. All fourteen dazzling ocher eyes turned to look at me. I immediately blushed.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I'm just…"

I was struggling to find words to describe the wave of emotion I was struggling to fight brought on by Carlisle's strange request. They actually wanted me with them.

I wasn't even a…a vampire yet; they'd have to fend with all the extra nuisances of bringing a human along on their holiday, like providing food and searching for entertainment to last them the night, while I slept, and yet they were all willing to suffer through it for me.

They could easily have waited until I'd become one of them—they didn't have long to wait—but they wanted to help me adjust as soon as possible…all of them. Carlisle. Esme. Alice. Jasper. Edward. Even Rosalie.

It was going to be unimaginably painful to leave Renee and Charlie behind in my immortal life, but I was already being accepted into the Cullen family unexceptionally, even in my mere human form. If Carlisle and Esme possessed hearts in the first place, they would've owned the warmest, kindest ones in Forks.

"What is it, Bella?" Carlisle inquired anxiously. "Do you feel sick?"

"I wish you _could _read my thoughts right now, Edward," I told him. "I can't exactly put my feelings into words at the moment."

He frowned. "Jasper, is there a way you can dull Bella's confusion down? That's an emotion, right?"

I shook my head and hugged his arm fondly. "I'm just…so grateful I'm going to get stranded with the best vampire family a girl could ever wish for."

"You're the only girl who'd ever _wish _for a vampire family in the first place," Edward mumbled in disbelief, lightly kissing my head.

"Does that mean you're coming then?" Emmett asked eagerly.

"Of course!" I grinned. "Road trip with my future family, out of Forks. What more could I want?"

"Um, your mortality?" Edward sighed.

"That argument's already over, Edward, remember?" I waved my left hand in his face. The ring wasn't actually on my finger at the moment, but it was the thought that counts. "So, Carlisle, where are we going then? I don't really fancy dropping by the Volturi's teahouse for another few years, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Carlisle agreed. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. We're relying on Alice to come up with the most suitable suggestion."

"Alice?"

"Carlisle's keeping her on weather duty," Jasper explained. "We'll be headed to anywhere that's guaranteed to be as sunless as possible…she hasn't really seen anywhere decent yet, save for Antarctica. And none of us really fancy Penguin meat for a fortnight…"

"It's okay, right?" Edward asked me worriedly. "Would you prefer somewhere sunny?"

"Don't be stupid," I chided him. "We'll go wherever Alice takes us."

Edward gave me a 'oh-now-you've-done-it' look. I realized what I'd just said, and regretted my words instantly.

"Great!" she sang jubilantly. "Well right now, Alice is going to take you _shopping!" _I was dragged helplessly out of the door under her iron vice-grip around my wrist.

"Edwaaarrdd!" I wailed, but Alice had already thrown me into her glossy yellow Porsche and kick started the engine before he could come rescue me.

I suddenly realized the extent of what this whole family-bonding-holiday thing could mean. I shuddered to think of how many more kidnap schemes Alice had planned for me in the next 2 weeks—clearly, that one time under Edward's command had awakened a thirst for this ridiculous new hobby.

Holidaying with a family of potentially lethal vampires that thirsted for my blood? Sure thing, I could handle that easily. But 2 weeks of this ridiculous kidnapping business every time the word 'shopping' was mentioned in front of Alice—heck, even when it _wasn't_ —? I hadn't quite built up the appropriate defenses for that yet.

A 2 week vacation with—and only with-- the Cullens. Was I ready for it?

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**A/N: **Oh man...after weeks of obsessing I finally have my first Twilight fanfic up, yay! Any suggestions/scenarios you think of, leave it in a review, and it may be included in a future chapter! Please drop a review anyway if you enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) this chapter. Thanks for reading! 


	2. Fiancee? Ugh

I'd had nearly a week to prepare for this milestone in my coming life—five long nights plagued with worry and panic—and yet I was just as nervous as that first sleepless night.

My physical weariness was evident from the impressive dark circles under my eyes. At least now I shared _something _that could possibly compare me to the mystical, outrageous beauty of my fellow travelers—until a more permanent change took place, anyway.

Unable to read my mind, Edward couldn't understand my anxiety.

"I don't get it, Bella," he kept saying, unloading my heavy suitcase from the trunk of his Volvo with typical nonchalant ease. "You're practically part of the family already. What's the big deal? Are all those long overdue warnings about how dangerous we are _finally _managing to sink into that particular little head of yours?"

His voice was light and teasing, but his eyes were anxious.

"No, it's not that," I mumbled. "Here, let me take that."

I grabbed the handle of my suitcase, attempting to drag it myself to the taxi I knew was waiting in front of the Cullen driveway. It did not budge.

"You have a fiancée possessing superhuman strength, and yet you still insist on trying to maneuver heavy luggage," he sighed, rolling his eyes and easily relinquishing the bag from my grasp.

"Ugh. Not that I love you any less or anything, but could you not call it that?" I grimaced. He knew what I was talking about.

He frowned at me. "Why not?"

His inquisitive stare made me feel like a child who'd just been caught scribbling on the walls rather than on paper.

I tried to shrug it off casually. "It just sounds so…" I struggled to find the right word.

"Perfect?" Edward breathed, his eyes softening. "Well, not as perfect as 'wife', but close enough."

It took an enormous amount of willpower to resist the perfect crooked smile now flashing across his divine face. But I did try.

"No. I mean, not that it's not perfect to me either" --I added quickly, for his face had fallen—"It's just. Wow. Fiancee. It sounds so formal…so…_serious."_

"More serious than you joining the ranks of the Queen of the Damned?" Edward scoffed, his voice torn between irritation and amusement. Irritation seemed to win out in the end, and he flounced down the gravel path away from the garage with my suitcase in tow. I made no attempt to keep up with him- it would be like a frail lamb trying to keep pace with a powerful, magnificent lion. I smiled at the unintended choice of animal analogy.

I followed Edward's footsteps at a much more standard, human pace, allowing my thoughts to wonder. Once again I found myself wishing my mind was not so bizarrely impenetrable—how was I supposed to convey into words the potpourri of emotions swirling through my mind? Words were such simple, vulgar tools. Not nearly complex enough to translate the happenings of _my _thoughts, at least.

I couldn't explain it to Edward. He'd just tell me to stop being such an over-worrying human, winning me over with his witty words, smouldering gaze, or perhaps a combination of both. I wasn't sure if anyone else would understand either.

Rosalie's words from that fateful Phoenix incident still echoed in my head. _"No. Why should we? What is she to us? Nothing more than a nuisance, endangering our entire family the moment she stepped into our lives!"_

I knew she would be indebted to me for saving Edward in Italy, and truly appreciated my immediate forgiveness for her mistake, but the words still rang home. I _was _a nuisance to them. I _had _disrupted their lives from day one— no matter how many times Edward insisted it was the other way around.

None of us would be perfectly safe until I'd been changed into a vampire myself—who knew what possibilities danger had for me on the other side of the Atlantic? Victoria might be gone, but I'm sure there were many other deranged, psychotic vampires waiting to find some excuse to murder me this holiday, too.

Perhaps some other mythical creatures would pop up and introduce themselves to my not-so-normal life. Witches, Zombies, Medusa—they could all be just as real as the Cullens. And it pained me to think of the trouble I risked causing for every extra day I remained a mortal.

I could see them now; their glorious silhouettes emerging from under the canopy of the shadowy cedars across their front lawn. Carlisle and Esme pleasantly conversed with the taxi driver. He seemed just as intimidated by their outrageous youth as I had initially been.

Behind them came Jasper, staggering down the front steps with a positively enormous, bulging suitcase. Alice bounced happily by his side, looking even tinier by contrast. I marveled at her ability to stuff what appeared to be the entire contents of the Cullen household into one measly case. I knew Jasper's 'struggle' was feigned for the taxi driver's benefit, but I rather thought even he seemed to be breathing a little heavier than usual as he dragged the bag down the stairs.

I saw the driver eye Emmett fearfully as he now crashed through the front door, his booming laughter echoing throughout the lawn. Rosalie glided down behind him, impossibly beautiful as ever. She wore an expensive looking chiffon dress I'd seen Jessica gushing over in _Vogue _last week, and a contemptuous grimace on her face—though whether that was reserved for Emmett's childish behaviour or me, I couldn't be sure.

I soon forgot about Rosalie when I saw the familiar bronze hair of the last Cullen peeking out from behind the cab trunk. The only one whose opinion of me _really _mattered at this point.

Edward sprang lightly towards me across the lawn, reaching me in about half the steps it would've taken—well. A normal human.

"We're ready to leave," he announced softly, taking my hand in one smooth, fluid motion. Apparently I was forgiven for my previous behaviour, at least for now.

"Bella!" Esme greeted me warmly as we approached the taxi. "Are you sure you brought everything?"

"Yes, thank you," I answered. "Everything was in the suitcase Edward brought over just now."

"It's okay, Bella," Alice said cheerfully, dancing over to join us. "If you forgot anything, it's the perfect excuse to just take another shopping trip," she added with a significant wink.

"It's okay, I'm _positive _I have everything," I replied firmly. I saw Edward trying not to laugh as the disappointment flooded across her face.

"Okay everyone, we're good to go!" Carlisle called, gracefully slamming the trunk of the jumbo taxi and smoothly seating himself in the front seat.

We all traipsed after him, and the driver wore an expression of disbelief and wonder as 6 living muses, straight out of Greek mythology, climbed gracefully into his back seat. I was the last to enter, and he offered me a small smile as I got in, relieved that there was at least one other normal, dull human _not_ possessing god-given beauty in his midst.

"The airport then, please," Carlisle murmured softly. The driver nodded and turned the key in the ignition. The van roared to life and I smiled sadly, reminded of my beloved Chevy. I wondered if Edward would be able to tolerate a vehicle that could not physically surpass even half his ideal speed limits sitting in his garage. It would be the ultimate blow to his pride and dignity—by the Cullen standards anyway. Perhaps I could claim it as being a simple souvenir of my human life. But even then I'd have to grovel and beg.

Exhausted from sleep deprivation and my head throbbing from my notoriously excessive worrying, I drifted off to sleep in Edward's cold stone arms.

**A/N: **Sorry this is very short. But it is also very late, and since schoolwork is on the verge of making me spontaneously combust this moment, I don't know when I can update next so figured I'd just post a shortie first.

Anyway yes, next chapter will be the actual plane ride! Which you know is just going to be chaotic (think Emmett targeting a poor little kid's adorable teddy…) but WHERE are the Cullens going? I'll leave that all to you. Leave some suggestions in a review (hint hint) and you just may have helped me make the biggest decision in this story's life!


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